brides for brothers 02 - cowboy daddy (22 page)

He wanted his Janie to be happy.

Tomorrow. He’d ask her tomorrow if anything was bothering her. That plan satisfied his conscience, and holding her against him satisfied everything else. With a sigh, he fell asleep, too.

A
S WAS
their Sunday ritual, the next day the Randalls, en masse, attended services at the small church where Pete and Janie had been married. Janie thought their row was the most impressive in the church. Exuding strength and determination, the four Randall men would catch anyone’s eye when they were all together.

She and Megan, mixed in among the four men, were a real change. She could remember, as a little girl, watching Pete file into church with his brothers and his father. She’d dreamed of the day he would ask her to sit beside him in their row.

She’d finally achieved that goal.

But she felt dishonest about it. Her seduction scene had worked last evening. Incredibly. But she hadn’t been herself. Pete didn’t seem to mind or notice, but she had.

She’d vowed to herself that she’d keep Pete’s interest, whatever it took. She wouldn’t allow him to lose his desire for her. At least not this soon.

What happened when she could no longer use sex to hold him? When the doctor said their lovemaking had to stop because it might damage the babies’ health? Or when she grew older and wrinkles appeared around her eyes and her waistline wasn’t so trim?

She didn’t have an answer to those questions, and it frightened her.

Pete took her hand in his. She smiled at him and then looked away, only to encounter her father’s approving smile. Desperately she tried to believe that everything was going to be all right. That Pete, like her father, would remain beside her all her life, even if she couldn’t always be beautiful. And she said a few prayers.

R
ED INVITED
Janie’s parents and B.J.’s family to Sunday lunch. He’d put on a pot roast before they’d left for church. Everyone accepted, and dinner was a noisy affair.

Afterward, again B.J., Janie and Megan volunteered to do the dishes. Lavinia and Mildred helped them carry the dishes into the kitchen, but the younger women sent them into the living room to relax.

Janie waited until there was a lull in the conversation before she launched the discussion she wanted.

“Megan, do you have a lot of sexy underwear?”

Her sister-in-law seemed surprised by the question. “Some, I suppose. My mother always believed in that kind of thing, so she would give me negligees for Christmas.”

“Oh. I love the one the both of you gave me. Where did you find it?”

B.J. grinned. “We had to drive all the way into Casper to buy it. Rawhide wouldn’t have anything that scandalous.” Janie laughed with the other two. “What store?”

“You want some more?” B.J. asked curiously.

“Pete must’ve liked it,” Megan said, grinning.

“Yes, he did. And I thought I might see if they had anything else…interesting.”

Megan laughed. “Save your money, Janie. If he’s anything like Chad, you don’t keep it on long enough to get your money’s worth.”

They all laughed again, but Janie turned away so they wouldn’t see the tears pooling in her eyes.

Chapter Sixteen

Pete scratched his head.

Damn if he knew what to do.

“Anything wrong?” Jake asked, riding up beside him.

“Nope, they’re moving along just fine,” Pete replied, speaking of the cattle he and several cowboys were moving to another pasture.

“I didn’t mean the cows.”

Pete look at his brother and then turned away. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know, or I’d ask better questions. It just seems to me that you’ve been…unsettled the last few days.”

Pete sighed. What could he complain of? Great sex? Jake would think he was crazy. “Maybe I have been. This marriage business takes some getting used to.”

Jake shifted in his saddle. “Yeah, I guess so. But everything’s all right between you and Janie?”

“I guess. But…she’s working too hard at it,” Pete finally said.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know!” His frustration burst out of him. “Jake, she’s driving me crazy. Every night, like she’s putting on a show or something, she seduces me. Hell, the sex is great. But I feel like I’ve lost the real Janie. She doesn’t argue with me anymore. Whatever I say, she agrees. You know that’s not like Janie.”

“Nope,” Jake agreed with a chuckle. “Even when she was little, she could hold her own. Remember when she tipped you into the water tank because you were teasing her?”

Pete laughed with his brother, but Jake’s words only increased the feeling that something wasn’t right.

“Do you think it’s the pregnancy? None of us knows much about that, even if we did read a book.”

Pete could feel Jake’s eyes on him, and he wished he had an answer. But he didn’t. “I don’t know. There wasn’t anything in the book about someone losing herself…changing into another person. If anything, the book said the mother might get difficult, fussy.”

“And she doesn’t get that way when it’s just the two of you? I’d wondered if living with all of us was too big a strain.”

“No, it’s not that. We don’t talk when it’s just the two of us. She goes up early. When I come up, she’s ready to lure me into bed.” He laughed self-consciously. “Not that she has to try very hard.”

“Maybe you should ask her what’s wrong.”

Pete’s cheeks heated up in the cold air. “I’ve considered that, but the minute I enter the room, my hormones go into overdrive. She even had a new nightgown last night. Some rosy pink thing that was made of a few ribbons and some sheer material.” Pete shuddered just thinking of her appearance and his enthusiastic removal of the aforementioned garment.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Pete,” Jake said, frowning. “Maybe you need to talk to Megan or Lavinia.”

Pete stared at his brother in horror. “You want me to tell Lavinia about my sex life with her daughter? Or Megan? Are you crazy?”

Jake laughed. “Sorry. I guess I wasn’t thinking. But I don’t know what to do to help you.”

Jake smiled at his brother. “Don’t worry about it, Jake. You can’t take care of all our problems for us. I’ll work it out…one way or another.”

T
HAT NIGHT
, Pete watched Janie slip away from the group and start up the stairs. Her steps seemed slower, her tread heavier, than in the past few days. He’d started to ask her several times if she was feeling all right, but in the past she’d always gotten irritated when he worried about her.

Reaching a sudden decision, he broke off the conversation he was having with Brett and got to his feet.

“What’s wrong?” Brett asked in surprise.

“Nothing. I have to go upstairs.”

Brett grinned. “Are you sure you’re leaving her enough time to breathe?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, I’ve heard of nonstop sex, but I’ve never seen it in action before. You don’t hardly let her out of your sight.”

Pete started to sit back down, afraid Brett was right, that he’d been hounding Janie. Then he remembered that
she’d
been seducing him. “No, that’s not it,” he said distractedly, and headed for the stairs.

And it wasn’t. He wasn’t an animal. He could control his desires…he thought. He’d been prepared to do so when Janie had agreed to marry him. No, it was as he’d told Jake earlier. Something was wrong.

He hoped if he went up when she did, before she transformed herself into his very own painted lady, he could control his hormones and get her to talk to him. Talk had been in short supply lately, at least between the two of them.

Opening the door cautiously, he discovered Janie curled up into a little ball on the far side of the bed.

“Janie? Janie, are you all right?” he asked as he crossed the room and knelt down beside her.

She hid her face from him. “Go away.”

He felt her face and found it warm to his touch. “Janie, are you running a fever?”

“No. Go away,” she repeated.

“Janie, look at me,” Pete commanded sternly. “I need to know if you’re sick.”

“I’m not sick. But I’m not interested in sex tonight, so you might as well go away. I’ll sleep in the other room if you want.”

She uncovered her face enough for Pete to see tears streaking down her cheeks.

“Why would you do that?” he asked, fear clutching his heart. “We’ve been sharing this bed for a while now. There’s no reason we can’t continue.”

“Yes, there is!” she exclaimed, her voice breaking at the end.

Pete rolled back on his heels, staring at her. “What reason?”

“I can’t keep this up.”

“Keep what up? Janie, are you talking about our marriage? You’re not thinking of leaving?” He couldn’t keep the horror out of his voice. “You’re not leaving, Janie.” He may have missed the old Janie, but he wasn’t letting either one of them go without a fight.

“Why not?” she cried. “You won’t want me anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Later,” she said with a sniff. “You won’t want me later.”

“Janie, you’re not making any sense.”

She sat up on the bed, a look of determination coming over her. “Yes, I am. You just won’t admit it. And I’m not waiting around for it to happen.” She rolled away from him to the other side of the bed, stood up and ran for the door.

“Janie, what the hell are you talking about?” he shouted, springing to his feet to chase after her. “What is it?”

“You don’t love me, and I can’t always be young and attractive,” she wailed over her shoulder.

She reached the stairs while she was answering Pete’s question and missed the first step. In horror, Pete watched her fall, as if in slow motion, and roll down the stairs.

“Janie!” Fear filled him as he raced down after her.

She lay silent on the floor.

The rest of the family came running out at the commotion.

“Janie,” Pete crooned, lifting her up against his chest. “Janie, talk to me.”

Jake snapped out orders. “Brett, call the doc. Chad, go get B.J.”

“B.J.?” Chad asked. “She’s an animal doctor.”

“She’s also the only female to have had a baby around here. Go get her.” Then he turned his attention to Pete and Janie. “Did she break anything?”

Pete stared at him, a dazed look in his eyes.

Jake ran his hands over Janie’s arms and legs. “Nope, I don’t think so.”

Pete held his wife against him, as if trying to share his strength with her. He didn’t even notice the others around him.

“Pete, can you carry her to bed? With nothing broken, I think it will be okay to move her.” Jake had to tell him a second time, but finally Pete heard him.

“I can carry her,” he assured him gruffly, trying to hold back the tears that filled him. He couldn’t bear the thought of Janie hurt.

He stood and lifted Janie high against his chest. With Jake at his back, as if offering support, he started up the stairs.

“Megan,” Jake called over his shoulder, “as soon as Brett finishes talking to the doctor, maybe you’d better call Lavinia and Hank.”

Jake hurried around Pete and his burden to strip back the covers on their bed. “We’d better keep her warm. She might go into shock.”

Pete laid her down, reluctant to let go of her. He had the feeling that as long as he held her, she would be okay.

“Pete, you want to take off her shoes?”

He turned to stare at Jake, a blank look on his face. What had Jake said?

“Her shoes, Pete. Take off her shoes.”

He did so and then drew the covers over Janie just as the bedroom door opened. B.J., with Chad right behind her, came into the room.

“How is she?”

“She hasn’t regained consciousness yet,” Jake said in a low voice.

B.J. gently moved Pete aside and felt Janie’s pulse. Then she opened one of her eyes. After that, she gently patted Janie’s cheek. “Janie? Janie, can you hear me?”

Pete wanted to protest. But Janie’s groaned response stopped him. He pushed closer. “Janie? Are you okay? Janie, speak to me.”

“My head,” she said with a low moan.

“Doc Jacoby is on his way, Janie,” B.J. assured her calmly. “Just lie still and rest.”

Janie clutched her stomach instead. “Ooh!”

“Are you having pains, Janie?” B.J. asked, her voice again calm.

“My babies!” Janie cried, sending a chill through the room.

P
ETE PACED THE FLOOR
, unable to contain himself. Doc, Lavinia and B.J. had been upstairs with Janie for at least half an hour. The fear that he might lose her so consumed him that he didn’t hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

Perhaps it was the concerted movement of the rest of his family that alerted him. By the time he turned around, Doc was almost to the bottom.

“Janie…?” he asked painfully.

“She’s going to be fine. She has a mild concussion, and there will be an assortment of bumps and bruises, but nothing serious.”

Pete bowed his head in relief.

“And the babies?” Jake asked softly.

Pete’s head snapped up in time to see the doctor let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. We’ll know more after twenty-four hours.”

“You mean she might lose the babies?” Pete asked in horror.

“I hope not. Babies are well cushioned. But I’m not promising anything right now. Lavinia is going to stay with her tonight. I’ll be out first thing in the morning to check her again.”

“You’re not moving her to a hospital?” Jake asked.

“Nope. Lavinia is almost as good as Priddy. Janie will be better off here.” He turned to Pete again. “You can go see her for a minute or two, but don’t upset her.”

Uncertainty and fear filled him. He was the reason she’d fallen in the first place. He’d already upset her. What if the sight of him disturbed her all over again?

With a nod to the doctor, he started up the stairs. He couldn’t
not
see her. He had to see with his own eyes that she was all right. But he was afraid his presence wouldn’t make her feel better.

“Lavinia?” he whispered from the door to the bedroom. “Doc said I could see her for a minute or two.”

She motioned for him to come in. “Janie, Pete’s here to see you.”